System for predirecting torpedoes



23E-'403 :mi

March 22, 1932. AA D, TRENOR 1,850,087

SYSTEM FOR PREDIRECTING TORPEDOES original Filed July 5, 191s 2 sheet-snm 1 Qi/71317?, 1%?" March 22, 1932. A. D. TRENOR 1,550,087

SYSTEM FOR PREDIRECTING TORPEDOES origina Filed July 5, 1918 2f sheets-sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 22, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBERT D. TRENOR, OF GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN HAYS HAMMOND, JR., OF GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS SYSTEM FCR PREDIRECTING TORPEDOES 'Original application filed July 5, 1918, Serial No. 243,502. Divided and this application led November 24,

1926. Serial No. 150,619.

This invention relates to improvements in predirecting torpedoes.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved automatic means for directing a torpedo upon a predetermined course to strike a moving target.

One feature of the invention relates to an improved mechanical integrator whereby the course and speed of a distant object so controls the setting of the mechanism that the course of the torpedo may be easily and accurately predetermined.

Other objects will appear from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a predirecting mechanism embodying features of the invention;

Figure 2 is a detail of the follower construction;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the computing mechanism.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the following description and claims, parts, characteristic features and functions will be identified by specific names for convenience of expression, but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts or equivalent construction as the art will permit.

In order more readily to understand the usefulness of the present invention, reference will be made to a mathematical formula whereby the angle of divergence of the course of the torpedo with respect to the line of sight to the distant object may be readilv determined.

In the following description, refer-ence will be made to the diagrammatic showing of Figure 4 of the drawings. The ship from which the torpedo is fired is designated by the reference numeral 10a moving on a course C, with an enemy ship 11a moving on a course A at a speed M. The divergence loetween the course A and the course C is indicated by the angle B. A torpedo 12a is adapted to be discharged from the body 10a and travel at a speed of T knots so that in order to strike t e moving target 11a it must travel along the me D making an angle E with the longitudinal axis C of the torpedo boat 10a. The initial line of sight F from the torpedo boat 10a to the target 11a makes an angle G with the longitudinal axis C of the boat 10aI and consequently the angle which the torpedo 12a must take with respect to the line of sight F is the angle I-I. Hence, if the angle H can be determined the angle E becomes a known quantity and the torpedo 12a map be predirected and fired to strike the moving target. In solving for the angle I-I it will be apparent that the angle K is equal to the angle G minus the angle B.

Then

sin H -ll/. sin (G- B) I T and This equation is solved by the following described mechanism.

In Figure 1 the means for locating the target 11n!l angularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the boat 10a consists of a sighting unit such as a telescope 20 mounted upon and adapted to rotate with a vertical shaft or axis 21 having bearing on a suitable fixed part of the torpedo boat 10a. The telescope 2O operates in conjunction with a dial 22 fixed to the body of the torpedo boat 10a and having its zero line parallel to the longitudinal axis of the boat 10a while angular variations of the telescope are indicated by a pointer 23 fixed to the shaft 21 to move therewith and over the surface of the dial 22 in close proximity to the dial indicia.

For the purpose of transmitting movement of the telescope 20 to certain parts to be controlled thereby., the shaft 21 has a gear 24 keyed thereon and in mesh with a pinion 25 which drives an electric transmitter 26 for con-trolling two electric repeaters 27 and 28 in a four wire cable circuit 30 including a return wire 31, a battery 32 and a control switch 33. A gear wheel 34 is operatively connected to the repeater 27 through a pinion 36 which is provided on the repeater, so as to be rotated thereby. The gear wheel has secured thereto on one face a dial 37, with which registers a movable pointer 38, and has on its other face a second dial 40 with which registers a fixed pointer 41. rl`he repeater 27 operates in conjunction with the angle determining mechanism and the repeater 28 operates with the predirecting mechanism and the gears 24, 25 and 34, 36 are so proportioned that the gear 34 rotates at a rate proportionately greater than the rate of movement of the telescope as will be further described hereinafter.

For the purpose of proportioning the angular movement of the parts so as to obtain the angle H, the gear 34 is adj ustably mounted on a shaft 110 and to which it may be clamped by a thumb nut 42. The pointer 38 is fastened to the shaft 110 and rotates therewith. The shaft 110 is mounted for rotation in fixed bearings 111 and has a double spiral groove 112 formed therein for the purpose of feeding a follower 113 longitudinally in either direction upon said rod. The follower 113 is provided with a member 113 pivotally secured thereto and which is of elongated form and arranged to move in and be guided by the groove of the spiral 112 whereby rotation of the shaft 110 causes the member 113 to be fed in the groove to move t-he follower as required. The lowermost point of intersection of the two portions of the groove 112 determines the initial or zero position occupied by the member 113. The elongated construction of the member 113 prevents it from jumping from one spiral groove to the other at points of intersection. It is also preferable to mount the member 113 for rotation so that it readily follows the contour of the groove 112.

To prevent turning of the follower 113 a rod 114 is provided which parallels the shaft 110 and passes through a suitable opening in the follower 113. The spiral 112 is designed to move the follower 113 a distance proportional to the sine of the angle through which the telescope 20 has been moved angularly and a multiple of this angular movement is transmitted to the shaft 110 by the gear 34.

The shaft 110 is preferably geared to move at a greater rate than the shaft 21 of the sighting unit and for purposes of illustration it may be assumed that the shaft 110 will make one complete revolution when the shaft 21 is moved through an angle lof 15, although any other desired ratio, (for example 27.7 o), may be employed. In the present instance the element 113 is integral with a pin 115 which is freely rotatable in the follower 113 and projects at one end for the purpose of riding in a slot 116 of an arm 117 pivoted at 118 to a slide block 120 adjustably mounted in a slot 121 of a fixed frame 122. The block 120 carries a pointer 123 and may be clamped in any adjusted position by a thumb nut 124. Spaced from and parallel to the shaft 110 is a second shaft 125 provided with a single spiral groove 126 and having a follower 127 similar in construction to the follower 113 mounted thereon. The follower 127 is shifted longitudinally of the shaft 125 by the movement of the arm 117, and the slot 116 of this latter guides a pin 128 fixed to the follower 127. Thus linear movement of the follower 127' causes rotary movement of the shaft 125. Suitable bearings 130 are provided for the shaft 125 and the follower 127 is prevented from turning by a xed rod 131 engaging the follower 127. A scale 132 graduated in a ratio of M/T is fixed adjacent to the frame 122 and the pointer 123 is adapted to register therewith.

The shaft 125 carries a gear 82 which is constantly in mesh with a pinion 83 upon an electric transmitter 84. One face of the gear 82 is provided with a dial 85 moving therewith, and registering with a fixed pointer 86.

F or setting the predirecting means upon the torpedo, a shaft 90 controlling the predirecting mechanism extends outwardly from the torpedo tube 91 and is arranged to be rotated by a repeater 93 fixedly mounted upon a movable gear 92. The gear 92 thus moves the casing of the repeater 93. The gear 92 is constantly in mesh with a pinion 94 of the repeater 28. The rotor of the repeater 93 is in a circuit including a four wire flexible cable 95, a battery 96, switch 97, and the electric transmitter 84. The repeater 93 is rotated by the gear 92, and causes the shaft 90 to rotate at a rate which is the algebraic sum of the rates of rotation of the gear 92 and the transmitter 84. When the switch 97 is open the shaft 90 can be rotatively adjusted relative to the gear 92 and the repeater 93.

The shaft 90 carries a pointer 100 fixed thereon, to register with a fixed dial 101 upon the tube 91. The normal or zero position of the pointer 100 is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the torpedo tube 91. A second pointer 102 is fixed to the shaft 90 so as to register with a dial 103, for indicating the position of the shaft 90 with respect to the casing of th-e repeater 93.

Similarly the gear 92 is provided with a dial 104 fixed thereto and arranged to move therewith, and registering with a fixed pointer 105.

In operation, the gear 34 is first set in a zero position as indicated by the pointer 41 on the dial 40 and the shaft 110 is set in such a zero position as indicated by the pointer 38 on the dial 37 that the follower 113 will be in its lowest position and the pointer 86 will then indicate a zero position on the dial 85. The telescope 20 is positioned in its zero pollo sition with its aXis parallel to the longitudinal aXis of the torpedo boat 10 as indicated by the pointer 23 on the dial 22. The gear 92 and the shaft 90 are set in their respective zero positions as heretofore described and the switches 33 and 97 are then closed. The movable pointer 123 is then located with respect to the scale 132 to indicate the ratio in which case the distance of the pin 128 fro-m the pivot 124 will be to the distance of the pin 115 from the pivot 124 as M is to T.

The telescope 2O` is then pointed at the target and the angular movement thereof transmitted by the repeater 27 to the gear 34 which will be moved through an angle proportioned to the angle G. The thumb nut 42 will then be loosened and the shaft 110 rotated in the oppo-site direction, as indicated by the pointer from the dial 37, through an angle proportional to the angle B and the nut 42 clamped. The shaft 110 will, therefore, have been moved through an angle proportional to (Gr-B) and the follower 113 will be moved out a distance proportional to the sin (Gr-B), and since the respective distances of the pins 115 and 128 are proportional to the ratio (speed of target to speed of torpedo) the distance which the follower 127 will be moved will be proportional to lstima-B).

The shaft 125 will therefore turn the gear 82 through an angle proportional to the angle H because Alsin (G-B) is equal to the sin H, and this angle H will be transmitted to the repeater 93 to rotate the shaft 90 with respect to the gear 92 through the angle H which is thus added to the angle Gr through which the gear 92 has already been turned by means of the angular movement of the telescope 20 transmitted through the transmitter 26 and the repeater 28. The shaft 90 will therefore be turned through 5 the angle E, or G plus H, which is the desired angle to turn the predirecting mechanism 140 of the torpedo 12 to have the torpedo travel along th-e course D as desired. The transmitters, repeaters and their adjuncts referred to generally throughout the specification, are of well known construction, being preferably of the Sperry standard type, such as fully described in the patent to Ford No. 1,293,747, dated February 11, 1919, and it is therefore deemed unnecessary to here specifically explain such construction. The details of a predirecting mechanism, such as indicated at 140 which may be employed with the present invention, are shown in patent to Davison, No. 1,265,753, dated May 14, 1918.

The invention upon which this application is based is broader than the specific embodiment shown and described for the purpose of illustrating at least one of the ways in which it may be employed. The scope of the invention is therefore to be understood as not being limited by the present specific description. I intend no limitations other than those imposed by the claims.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 243,502, filed July 5, 1918, for system for predirecting torpedoes.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for determining an angle, which comprises a pair of parallel rotatable shafts, one of said shafts being adapted to be rotated an amount proportional to an angle, and means dependent upon the position of said shaft for rotating the other of said shafts an amount which is a function of the amount of rotation of said iirst shaft represented by the equation sine shaft 2=K sine shaft l,

where K is a constant during a determination, the rotation of said second shaft representing the desired angle.

2. A calculating mechanism comprising a pair of parallel rotary shafts, one of said shafts being adapted to be rotated an amount proportional to an angle, means movable longitudinally of said shaft proportional to the sine of said angle, an element movable longitudinally of said second shaft proportionally to said last mentioned means, means for changing said proportion andl means whereby said element causes movement of said second shaft proportional to the angle whose sine is represented by the longitudinal movement of said element.

3. A device for determining a pre-directing angle for a projectile, which comprises a pair of rotary parallel shafts, one of said shafts being adapted to be rotated proportionally to the angle of deviation of the line of sight of a target, a helical directing means and a follower associated with said shaft, said directing means being so positioned that the lateral displacement of said follower is proportional to the sine of the angle represented by the rotary movement of said shaft, a helical directing means and a follower associated with said second shaft, means whereby said second follower moves laterally proportionally to the movement of said first follower, the lateral position of said second follower representing the sine of an angle, means for adjusting the ratio of movements of said first and second followers in accordance with the ratio of the speed of the target to the speed of the projectile, said helical directing means being adapted to rotate said second shaft an amount proportional to the angle whose sine is represented by said follower, the angular movement of said second shaft representing the angle between the line of sight of said target and the path of said projectile.

4. A device for determining a pre-directing angle for a projectile, which comprises a pair of rotary parallel shafts, one of said shafts being adapted to be rotated proportionally to the angle of deviation of the line of sight of a target, a helical directing means and a follower associated with said shaft, said directing means being so positioned that the lateral displacement of said follower is proportional to the sine of the angle represented by the rotary movement of said shaft, a helical directing means and a follower associated with said second shaft, means whereby said second follower moves laterally proportionally to the movement of said first follower, the lateral position of said second follower representing the sine of an angle, means for adjusting the ratio of movements of said first and second followers in accordance with the ratio of the speed of the target to the speed of the projectile, said helical directing means being adapted to rotate said second shaft an amount proportional to the angle whose sine is represented by said follower, the angular movement of said second shaft representing the angle between the line of sight of said target and the path of said projectile., a repeating mechanism, means for adjusting said mechanism simultaneously with said first mentioned shaft through an angle proportional to the angular deviation of the line of sight of said target, and means associated with said second shaft for rotatllng said mechanism through an angle proportional to the angular movement of said second shaft whereby said repeating mechanism represents the angular deviation of the path of said projectile.

Signed at Gloucester, in the county of EsseX and State of Massachusetts, this 18th day of Nov. 1926.

ALBERT D. TRENOR. 

